Hamato or Oroku? 4: The Darkness Within
by TMNT Loving Leo the Second
Summary: Long story short, Leo meets Angel, and they go to the Volpehart Building. But since he was raised by the Shredder, I feel there'd be a bit of a twist. I dunno. It's the next installment in the Hamato or Oroku series, and that's all the people care about! Enjoy! Rated T for safety and probably language, along with a bit of disturbing imagery. 2k3'verse. COMPLETE
1. New Faces and A Strange Place

_Hello! I'm back with another installment of Hamato or Oroku! This one is based on The Darkness Within, one of my all-time favorite episodes of the 2k3 series, and the TMNT TV shows overall! Has anyone found out about the streets that were in the last chapter of my last installment? Hm? I'll tell you in the next chapter, promise! Enjoy!_

* * *

 _Fear. We face it everyday of our lives. Sometimes, fear can be a friend who fights by your side, making your reflexes quicker, senses sharper. Other times, fear is a liar, confusing you until you can't believe your own eyes. But the very worst fear: that's the fear that destroys all hope. And I'm afraid that my worst fear has just come true._

 _-Leonardo_

* * *

"Man, Donnie. Dese late-night ideas yer geek-brain's comin' up wit have gotta stop!" Raph exclaimed from where he was fixing the tires on the Battle Shell. Leo was tinkering with the engine and Mike was fiddling with the above lights.

Don walked over with a welder. "Are you kidding me? When we're done, the Battle Shell will be sweeter then-"

A loud banging on the door interrupted him, and Leo immediately jumped behind the Battle Shell. He didn't know if this was an enemy or a friend, but either way, they were probably unaware of him or out to get him because of some stuff he may or may not have done while in the Foot.

 _"Guys?! Guys, are you in there?"_

While Leo didn't recognize the voice, the other three turtles were already rushing towards the garage door. They opened it, and a girl around 13 was standing there, purple hair in 2 pigtails and wearing a sweater and sweatpants.

Leo poked his head out and cautiously went over.

"Angel?" Don asked, but she was already talking again.

"You guys gotta help me! Something terrible has happened!" she exclaimed, running over to Mikey and digging her head in his shoulder, before finally noticing Leo.

"Uhhh..."

* * *

As they all filed into the Battle Shell and introductions had been made, Don buckled himself into the driver's seat while Raph and Leo sat in the back and Mikey sat in the passenger's seat!. "Where are we going?" the genius asked.

"Wall Street and Hanover," Angel replied immediately.

"Take the West Side Highway," Leo instructed, remembering his trip there a few weeks ago.

"Is this about your portfolio? Toony tech stocks, huh?" Mike asked, chuckling as he looked at a map.

Angel suddenly held out a gold coin, and Mike's eyes widened and he frowned seriously.

"Whoa! Gold? No way!" he exclaimed as Raph and Leo looked over in interest.

"Angel, where did ya get a gold coin?" Raph asked.

"My brother gave it to me. He found it at the construction job he was working at; the Volpehart building," Angel quickly explained.

Mike inspected the coin. "It's dated 1611! Huh! Your brother found buried treasure?!" he gasped.

"I told him not to go back! I told him I had a bad feeling about it!" the girl exclaimed, clenching her fists and shaking in anger and mortification mixed. "That was 3 days ago. Since then, nothing." She put her face in her hands.

"What did the police say?" Leo asked quickly.

"They said they were too busy with real criminals to worry about some punk on a treasure hunt!" she answered as Raph took her in his arms.

"I's OK, kid. We'll find yer bro."

With that, Don stepped harder on the gas and he and Mike put determined looks on their faces.

* * *

Mike whistled as they arrived to the building. "Man, talk about creepy central!"

As they all walked into the building, Don scratched his head. "I don't get it. What kind of building on Wall St. doesn't have security?"

"Guys! Look at this! C. F. Volpehart, 1616! Whoa! Could this place be any more like Castle Dracula?" Mike asked, pointing at a statue with a man's head on it.

"C'mon, Mike. Get serious, would you?" Leo asked.

 _"You have come."_

Leo and Angel whipped their heads around. "Who said that?" Angel asked.

Leo was surprised she'd heard it too, but kept quiet.

"What? You OK Angel?" Don asked, as Leo put his hands behind his back and looked at the ceiling.

"It's- It's probably just my imagination. I'm a little freaked out is all," she said with a small shake in her voice.

 _"Come to me. Find the way."_

Angel's eyes snapped open, and Leo shook his head to get rid of the sound. Angel walked over to a curtain hanging from the ceiling and lifted it a little, revealing a pyramid with an eye over top of it. She pressed the button and it turned a bunch of different colors. She gasped as the room started shaking and the turtles jumped out of the way as the floor from beneath them rolled out, revealing a flight of spiraling stairs.

They all looked down the staircase and gaped, before Don turned to Angel. "Angel, how did you...?"

"I-I dunno! I just sorta knew it was there."

Leo shrugged and started down the staircase, jumping out of the way of his brothers and then waiting for them. They all followed, including Angel.

When they finally got down there, Leo stuck out his tongue as they made their way through murky sewer water. Behind him, his brothers and friend shuddered.

They came across a door that had the same symbol as the button upstairs. Mike gulped. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Creepsville!"

"What's it say Don?" Raph asked, referring to the writing that he'd just noticed over top of the door. Leo crossed his arms and grumbled to himself; he already knew what it said.

 _Lasciate ogne speranza voi che entrate_

"It says, 'Abandon all hope ye who enter here.'"

"No it doesn't! That would be 'lasciate ogni speranza voi che entrate'! This says 'lasciate ogne speranza voi che entrate,' which means 'all hope abandon ye who enter here'!" Leo corrected.

(A/N, I don't actually know if this is true, but someone put it in a comment on the YouTube video, so...)

Don shrugged. "Same difference."

Leo rolled his eyes as Mike said something about it being 'creepy!'

"Yeah? Well, check dis out!" Raph sia,d gesturing to the sides of the tunnel. A bunch of skeletons lay there, causing Mike to yelp like a girl.

"Can we get a move on?!"

Angel started sniffling. "We gotta find my brother! He's gotta be in here!" she exclaimed, going to pound on the door.

Leo got a tingling sensation in his shell. "Angel, no!"

Suddenly, the red eye above the pyramid started glowing, and so did the eyes of the skeletons. They started standing up, and te turtles and Angel drew into a tight circle. Leo subtly nudged Angel.

 _"Come meet your doom! Come to me!"_ the skeletons said as they approached the group...

* * *

 _BAM! I'm awesome! Not really! Please note, this is not going to be a very long story, and I'm pretty sure the chapters will be arranged by commercial breaks, but... *shrugs* I have another story planned for The Darkness Within, it's own storyline. And I don't want to overuse the episode. Review, rant, flame, give me suggestions for One-Shots! Anything will do! BYE!_

 _TMNT LLII_


	2. At the Volpehart Building

_Hi! I'm here with another update! I just finished my Wolf Bites story, if anyone is interested! Enjoy the chapter!_

* * *

 _"Come to me. Face me."_

The turtles drew their weapons. Mike's expression looked more worried than any of theirs'. "Is it just me, or is this WAY off the creepy meter?" he asked shakily.

Raph was the first to attack, sais blazing as he attacked a skeleton. He cut off its head, but it pushed him away. Don went to another one, and used his bō to block the numerous sword attacks. He then saw an opening and used it to knock the skeleton to the side, snapping its arm. Raph kicked one and Leo punched another one after having a sword duel with it.

Don turned to Raph. "There's something seriously wrong here! You can hit them, but the just keep coming!"

"And- *grunt* there's more of 'em! Look!" mike exclaimed as he knocked apart another skeleton.

His brothers and Angel, who had been hiding behind Leo mostly, looked where Mike was pointing. Another dozen skeletons had made their way over, and were all growling.

Leo squinted as a lantern suddenly made itself known from the stairway. "Fools! You cannot kill the dead!" an old man's voice said. "Run. You must follow me!"

The group did not hesitate and made their way past the wall of undead and made their way back up the staircase, a couple of the skeletons following. The old man was waiting at the button, and as soon as Leo, who was the last one in line, was up, he pushed it again. And just in time, too. One of the skeletons' heads got cut off, landing near Raph's foot.

He grimaced. "What the shell is goin' on around here?" he demanded.

The man with the lantern walked a little closer to them. "Silence. You should not have come here! But... it is too late now."

Raph and Leo looked at each other, troubled expressions on their faces.

"You have gone too far. There is no turning back now. If you truly wish answers to your questions, ten follow me," the old man finished, walking away. Everyone started following.

They found themselves in a room with a fireplace and a table. Don looked at the old man. "Um, sir? Aren't you the least bit feaked out? I mean, seeing us?" he asked, gesturing to himself and his brothers.

"I have seen many strange things in my life. Very little surprises me," the old guy said, turning off his lantern.

"But know this. The money you seek will never be yours. It is bait for a trap. Only a gruesome fate awaits those who come after it."

Leo grimaced as Angel stepped forward. "We're not looking for the money. Tall, brown hair."

Leo stepped forward, taking out the treasure. "He found this coin here and came back looking for more. That would be about 3 days ago," he said, holding the coin out to the man.

"Yes, he was here. I gave him the same warning I give them all. But he ignored me. He went through the Golden Door, and will never return," the old man said melodramatically.

"Then we'll just have ta go in afta him," Raph said, spinning his sais.

"Ignoramus." The old man went to grab a book from a shelf. "Perhaps you will change your mind when you know something of what you will find there," he said, wiping a ton of dust off the book, causing Leo to sneeze silently.

 _"A thousand years ago, a meteorite fell to Earth. It brought with it a creature of terrible evil and insatiable hunger. Whispering promises of great wealth and power, the creature lured gluttons and greedy to its side. Fortunately, the native people proved too strong of character. In fact, they created a weapon to protect themselves from the creature. A weapon created from the glowing red stone of the meteor itself. But, before the natives could slay the atrocity with the meteor spear, the call of the creature's lure had reached across the seas! To a race of men filled with greed for the gold of the new world. One such man was C. F. Volpehart. Volpehart took the land by force, and so hiss fortune grew. His dark legacy endured, and the ancient evil creature from the starts thrived. It is no accident, for the financial capital for the entire nation surrounds this very edifice. The Volpehart Building."_

"But, what about you? Where do you fit in with all of this?" Leo asked, putting his hand out.

"I-I am Volpehart's heir. I've vowed to destroy the creature. To lift the curse from my family. But, as I lifted the meteor spear to the creature, I was too weak. Too long under its influence. No matter my desire to end its accursed life, I could not," Volpehart's heir said, leaning against the fireplace. "Do you still wish to defeat this beast?"

Leo looked at his brothers and Angel. "We don't have a choice."

"We have to," Raph agreed.

"You have courage. Here. The meteor spear. May it serve you in your time of need," Volpehart's heir said, opening a compartment and handing the spear to Leo, who looked down at it worriedly.

* * *

As the group went back to the opening hole in the floor, Angel ran over. "Hey, guys, wait up!" she called.

Leo looked back at her. "Sorry, kid. It's too dangerous. You have to stay here where it's safe."

Angel looked at the ground for a second. "Please. Find my brother."

"We will. I promise."

 _'I hope.'_

Leo led the way down the stairway, the meteor spear guiding him. As soon as they all stepped in the murky water, the eye above the Golden Door started glowing red.

Raph groaned. "Great. Here come da bone brothas again!" he said as the skeletons started coming toward them again.

Leo held the meteor spear at them. "Back off!"

The skeletons all shielded their faces and did so, crumbling back into bones, and the turtles walked past, towards the door. It opened, and they walked in, unsure of what awaited them...

* * *

 _OK, OK, not awful. Not great, but not awful. ope you like it! Sorry for not updating, but I lost track of time! Review, flame, rant, vote on my new poll, check out my community! The question for the new poll is who is your favorite 2k12 TMNT character, and whichever gets most amount of votes by May 25 gets a One-Shot based on them! BYE!_

 _TMNT LLII_


	3. In the Cave, and Don's Experience

_In case anyone didn't get it, Wall St. and Hanover is where the Volpehart building is. I meant to put this on the last chap. Sorry! Enjoy! And sorry for taking forever to update, but A) I went to Long Island over the weekend and B) I like listening to music while I'm on the computer and watching the episode kinda interferes with that. SORRY_ _SORRY_ _SORRY_ _SORRY_ _SORRY_ _SORRY_ _SORRY_ _SORRY_ _SORRY_ _SORRY_ _SORRY_ _SORRY and I'm done. Last thing, I will be doing Don's little experience for this chapter, Raph and Mikey's for the next one, and Leo's for the last one, and the rest of the episode will also be in that chapter._

* * *

Leo led his brothers through the tunnels, using the meteor spear as guidance. Raph looked around, keeping an eye out for bugs to avoid. "You guys buy dat ol' man's story?"

"After those skeletons, I'm willing to buy most anything," Leo said, looking around warily. He was still contemplating the voice he'd heard earlier. Why hadn't his brothers heard it? He knew Angel had probably heard it because of her brother, but how could Leo also hear it? Was it because he'd been raised by Shredder? He inwardly shuddered at the thought. Just because he'd been raised by a dishonorable man- err, being, didn't mean he wan't as strong-

Dishonorable.

Of course. His will wasn't as strong as his brothers', which was why he'd heard the voice and not them. He didn't have as much ability to tell right from wrong.

He sighed and let this go, not willing to think about this right now.

Suddenly, the turtles found a cave. Smack dab in the middle was a big rock, which was on fire. "Whoa. That must be the meteor the old man told us about," Don said with the smallest shake in his voice that only Leo noticed.

He ignored it and went over to a bunch of weird pod things. "Guys, over here. What are these things?" He unsheathed a sword with his free hand and cut the pod he was directly in front of open. He then gasped and took a step back as a skeleton leaned out, along with a bunch of papers. Don picked one of them up. "This is a Civil War Bond. This guys must be 150 years old."

Leo looked around. "There are thousands of these cells. If that girl's brother ended up in here, it could take forever to find him!" he said as they all started walking again.

Out of nowhere, a ton of tentacles started coming of of every cave. Leo gasped and got the spear in a defensive position through instinct. The four turtles all got in a circle. "Is it more than one creature?!" Leo exclaimed as the tentacles came closer.

"I don't know," Don said as they all unsheathed their weapons.

"I don't _wanna_ know," Mikey responded, twirling his nunchucks.

Raph growled, then lunged at the tentacles, and his brothers followed his lead.

But then Mikey got tied up by tentacles.

"MIKEY!"

Then RAph, who was trying to get him.

Then Don, who Leo tried to grab really fast, but missed.

He, too, was tied, forcing him to drop the meteor spear. He struggled against the creature, but it barely took any notice as it moved one tentacle closer.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Leo screamed as his vision blurred.

* * *

Don was somehow walking around in the tunnels. He stopped short when he saw a familiar face. "Angel? What are you doing here? We told you to stay outside."

Angel giggled, and started running through a tunnel.

"This is no time for games, Angel. Wait up!" the genius called as he ran after her.

When he found her, she was walking on the edge of the pit, giggling still.

"I-I dunno what's going on Angel, but stay away from the edge!"

Angel suddenly slipped, and gasped. "Ahhh!" she screamed as she fell down the seemingly bottomless pit. Don ran over.

"Angel! NO!"

* * *

 _Wow! Way too short! But I needed to get this updated fast! Sorry! review, rant, flame, check out my community and vote on my poll! BYE!_

 _TMNT LLII_


	4. Mike and Raph's Experiences

_New chap! Just dreams, first Raph then Mike! Enjoy!_

* * *

Raphael looked around warily as he walked down the tunnel. Out of nowhere, a sadistic laugh made its way to his ears, echoing through the whole tunnel. "Wha? Wha's dat? Who's dere?!"

From behind a wall, a figure stepped out.

"Shredda. Why am I not su'prised _yer_ behind dis?" the hotheaded turtles asked, drawing his sais. The two engaged weapons, bu Shredder pushed Raph away, and Raph fell on his carapace, hitting the wall to stop his fall. A couple of pebbles landed on his head, and he grabbed it, "Alrigh' Shred-Head, le's try dat again!" he yelled, lunging despite lack of weapons. He somersaulted and kicked Shredder in the face, then back-flipped and elbowed his suit's crotch.

Just as he was about to send the ending blow, Shredder punched him in the face, sending him back as he spit out a tooth. Shredder landed on top of Raph and pressed his face into the ground hard, and Raph heard a light cracking sound the harder Shredder pressed.

Without even realizing it completely, the hotheaded turtle punched off Shredder's helmet, sending his head back.

But when Shredder looked back down at him, smiling with those nightmarish, red eyes...

"No! Yer - _yer me!_ "

The evil Shredder-Raph chuckled sadistically, and punched Raphael's lights out.

* * *

Mikey groaned as he woke up on the floor of a cave. He looked around as he sat up on his knees. "Raph? Donnie? Leo? Are you guys here?"

"I'm here, Mikey," a familiar yet strange voice said.

Mikey looked to his side and saw Leo, partly hidden in the shadows.

"What happened?" Mikey asked his new older brother.

"Turns out it was the Shredder behind all this. He got us, but he was merciful," Leo said, his voice hardening by the second.

"He offered us the chance to serve him. To be like him, so we can live. I took his offer!" the blue-clad turtle said as he stepped out of the shadows. His hidden left hand revealed itself to be a spitting image of Shredder's arm, gauntlet and all. Leo's eyes flashed red and he attacked Mikey.

"Ewww," the younger one muttered as he blocked the attack with his nunchucks. H went to strike, but Leo's gauntlet caught his nunchuck, and the right hand grabbed the other one.

Leo kicked his brother away from him, causing him to land on his carapace with a groan. He looked up at his approaching brother. "L-Leo?" he asked timidly.

"HA HA HA!" the older turtle chuckled, readying his gauntlet.

"NO!" Mikey screamed, and the last thing he saw were gauntlets coming down on his plastron.

* * *

 _AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! TOO SHORT! I'm sorry! But the next one will be longer! I'm 90% sure! Review, rant, flame, check out my community, and vote on my poll! BYE!_

 _TMNT LLII_


	5. Leo's Experience

_New chap! Leo's dream. Sorry I was too lazy to update; I was watching a ton of old Teen Titans episodes on Watch Cartoons Online. Enjoy!_

* * *

Leo gasped as he woke up in a red pod. He groaned as he saw all the goop on himself. Suddenly, he heard a muffled thumping noie, and looked to his right. Something was trying to penetrate the cocoon he was in. He saw it break in half, and braced himself.

"...M-Master Splinter?"

"My son!"

"What are you doing here, Master?" Leo asked as Splinter helped him out of the pod. He saw his brothers standing there, worried loos being exchanged.

"I sensed your troubles, my son. I needed to come and get you."

Leo smiled and bowed to his master, before he heard a thundering, booming laughter ringing through the caves. Leo gasped and reached for his katanas, before realizing he had lost them. He turned around and saw his previous father standing there, in the flesh.

"S-Saki? No. How - How'd you find us?" he asked as his bothers and real father took a few steps back.

Shredder 'tsked'. "Ah, Leonardo, you know how I hate stuttering. Maybe I'll make it stop by cutting out your tongue after I finish your family!" the tin-head boomed, unsheathing his gauntlets. Leo gasped as he suddenly dropped to his knees by an invisible force. Shredder chuckled sadistically and lunged at his family, Leo being forced to watch.

Shredder went at Mikey first, the youngest and weakest of the bunch. He waited for Mikey to try to reach for his nunchucks, then kicked him in the stomach, then sliced him across the chest, getting just past the plastron plate. Mikey gasped as he fell to his knees, tears pricking at his eyes.

Don next. He put up his forearms in an attempt to fend off Shredder's gauntlets, only to get cuts on his wrists. He gasped in pain, but still did this. Shredder must have hit an artery, though, because the blood flowing out of Don's arms came out like water out of a powerful faucet; a sink that had been rigged to not stop until out of fluid. Don stumbled, before collapsing next to Mike, who passed out right where he sat.

Raph. No. Leo gasped as Shredder made his way over to Raph. "Raph! Raph!" he yelled as he tried to break free fro whatever force was holding him, but couldn't.

Raph looked at him briefly, giving Shredder the opportunity he needed to slash his brother across the face. Raph yelled out in pain, and h dropped to his knees, then collapsed, eyes dull and near lifeless. As Leo watched him in horror, he heard 7 words:

"W-Why, Leo? Why didn't you save me?"

Leo gasped again, and looked down briefly as tears pooled in his eyes. He then looked up when he saw Shredder approaching Splinter, who had his cane at the ready. Leo fought harder at the force, then felt his right arm move a little bit. He sighed in relief and started pushing harder as he watched Splinter fight Shredder.

Shredder slashed at Splinter, who blocked it with his cane. The old rat then kicked Shredder in the stomach. Shredder grunted, but then slashed again, getting Splinter's left arm. Splinter let out a small cry, but then swung at Shredder with his cane, striking the face of Shredder's helmet. Shredder growled, and stabbed his gauntlet at Splinter. Splinter gasped as his chest was suddenly impaled, is eyes dulling by the moment.

Leo finally broke free from what was holding him and ran for his master while Shredder laughed in the background.

Leo picked Splinter up gently and looked at him. "M-Master," he choked out, tears pricking his eyes.

Splinter looked at him. "L-Leonardo. What have you done?"

Leo's eyes widened, and he stared at his master incredulously. "M-Master?" he asked again.

"You let us all die by the hands of the Shredder while you sat back and watched!" Splinter finished, then took his final breath and fell limp. Leo let out a sob.

"N-No. This isn't real."

He didn't acknowledge the fact that Shredder was approaching him from behind.

"It's NOT REAL!"

* * *

 _BAM! DONE! Review, rant, flame, vote, check out my community! BYE!_

 _TMNT LLII_


	6. The End

_New chap! After Leo's dream. Last chap, maybe a prologue after it, but I doubt it. But there's still a 50% chance, so, who knows? Enjoy!_

* * *

Leo once again awoke in the pod, and looked at the goop on his hands, and looked around the pod. He smiled, knowing this was real, and broke out of the pod with his katana. He looked around at the fire pit, then turned around and saw three glowing pods.

He opened the first one, and saw Mikey, muttering to himself and shaking his head. "Mikey! Mikey, wake up!"

* * *

Mikey gasped as he an away from his possessed brother.

"Listen to me, Mikey. This is just a dream. It's all in your mind."

Mikey took his defensive hands away from his face.

"W-Wha?"

* * *

Leo put his hand on his brother's shoulder, and Mikey woke up. "What?"

He turned to his leader. "Leo! What happened?" he asked shakily.

"It was a dream. A nightmare. C'mon, we gotta find the others," Leo said as they got out of the pod, taking out his katanas.

* * *

Once everyone was out of their pods, and had at least shaken themselves off a little bit, Leo looked at his brothers. "Somehow, this creature, whatever it is, was manipulating our minds," he explained a bit loudly.

"Well, I don't like being attacked, awake or asleep!" Mike exclaimed, crossing his arms.

"Le's get Angel's bro an' get da SHELL outta here!" Raph said, pointing backwards at nothing.

Leo looked to the side. "When I opened your cells, they were glowing red, something to do with the creature's power. There!" he exclaimed, pointing to a glowing red cell.

They all ran over, and Raph broke the cell with his sai. He and Don opened it, and saw a brunette man with goo all over him sleeping inside it, muttering to himself. "No, don't! She's just a kid! Ah!"

"Gimme a hand!" Raph said to his brothers as he put a hand on Ryan's shoulder.

* * *

Ryan woke up to 2 turtle men on each side of him, one with a blue bandanna and scars, and one with a red bandanna. "Huh? What? Who- Who are you?" he asked in a calm panicked was, breaking away from them. He started to grow more panicked as he bumped into 2 more turtles, and fell to the ground.

"Don't worry. Ye hallucinatin'! This's all jus' part of a very weird dream," Raph said, coming up in front of him. "Now let's get ya outta here befo'-!"

The whole cave suddenly started rumbling.

"-Too late!" Raph finished as a bunch of tentacles came shooting out of the entrance of the cave. They all dodged out of the way, but the creature grabbed Ryan, and smashed Raph and Mike on the ceiling. The 2 recovered quickly, though, and went to help Leo. Don made his way over, as well, and they all stood in a circle.

The creature knocked Raph against the wall instantly, then went for Mike, knocking him into Don after a bit of struggling. Leo dodged out of the way, then had to stop himself from nearly falling in the fire pit, yelling out a bit.

The creature's tentacles reached out for him, but he jumped backwards to the other side of the pit safely. He noticed an object right next to him. "The meteor spear!" he exclaimed, grabbing it. He smiled sadistically.

He got the spear in a defensive position as a tentacle came near him, then got ready to throw it. A rock fell from the ceiling, landing harmlessly on top of the already crumbling floor, revealing a HUGE, red creature with a big, hypnotic eye (NO, there's no spiral, just go with it).

Leo took a step back as the lobster-like creature stepped towards him. _"Feel my power. See my strength. You cannot fight me. You cannot win."_

Leo looked up at it with interest.

 _"If you serve me, I will give you cities. I will give you power, and wealth. I will give you... **the world**_ _,"_ the creature said in an oddly familiar voice.

Leo's eyes glowed a bold red, and he smiled sadistically. "The world," he repeated, throwing the meteor spear to the side. He looked at the creature's hypnotic eye, but then he heard something...

"Leo! Hurry it up ova dere!" he vaguely heard Raph say. He ignored it, but then...

"Leo! Is everything alright?!" Mikey called.

Leo gasped, and grabbed his head. "What... What on..."

His vision swirled, and he didn't hear the creature shriek in anger as he flew through memories.

Him training with his brothers...

Meditating with Master Splinter...

His new room...

Watching TV with his new family...

The feeling of putting on his new blue mask...

His family hugging him...

Leo's eyes opened, the red dimming. It disappeared, and he growled at himself and at the creature.

"Sorry, not interested!" he called, rolling to grab the meteor spear and throwing it at the creature. The spear hit it right in the eye, and it shrieked in agony. Leo shielded his eyes, then unblocked them, and looked up worriedly. He looked at his brothers, and they smiled at him, Mike giving him a thumbs up.

* * *

Angel looked at the old man worriedly, wondering when her friends would be back with Ryan. He was leaning on the table. "Your friends have done it. They have defeated the beast. I am free from its grasp," he said, getting to is knees. Angel walked over. "Free? What do you mean?"

The man looked at her, his eyes glowing red. "My name is C. F. Volpehart."

He fell to the ground, his skin decayed all the way before he even reached the floor, turning into a pile of dust and a jacket.

The door opened, and Angel gasped, turning around.

"Angel?"

"Ryan? Ryan!" she exclaimed, running over and hugging him. "You're alright!"

"He will be, after a nap. And a shower," Don said quietly.

Mike walked further into the room. "Hey, where's the old dude?"

Angel looked at him for a second. "You're standing on him," she said hesitantly.

Mike looked down, and saw a big pile of rotted flesh turned into dust, and a jacket on top. He gasped, jumping off it. "Ew! Gross gross gross! AHH!"

Don turned to Leo. "C'mon, let's go home. I've had enough weirdness for a lifetime, let alone one day."

* * *

Raph drove out, Mike in the passenger's seat with Leo, Don, Angel, and Ryan in the back. They dropped the 2 humans off, Raph giving Ryan a little lecture about treasure-hunting, and they drove to the warehouse. Leo sat on the floor with his chin in his left hand, pondering. He'd heard that voice from somewhere before...

 _That rooftop!_

When he'd been trying to build up the confidence to put on his mask! That was the second voice!

"Finally. That was killing me," he muttered to himself. Don looked over at him, and scooted over, pulling him up into a chair. Leo didn't argue.

"So, um, what happened back there?" Don asked in a whispering voice. Leo glared at him. "Nothing."

Don raised an eyebrow. "Mm-hmm. That's why you said something about the world and took that long," the genius whispered in a deadpan tone.

Leo crossed his arms and pouted. "I'm fine, really."

"That's not what I asked. I asked what happened _back there_ ," the purple-clad turtle dumbed down. Leo rolled his eyes.

"Nothing. You saw nothing, heard nothing, and will say nothing to anyone, including Splinter," he added, interrupting Don. Don crossed his arms this time, but nodded.

"Fine. I swear on my honor."

Leo inwardly shuddered at the word.

Honor.

His lack of it had almost let him become that creature's slave.

He dropped this line of thought and reached up front, turning on the radio. Hip-hop music came on, and Mike started singing along. Don chuckled to himself and took out his Shell Cell, and texted Splinter where they'd gone and when they'd be back.

Leo, on the other hand, was now sitting in his seat again, and smiled to himself. If he hadn't found these guys, he would've definitely stayed under the control of that creature.

But now, he thought as he looked at his laughing warm-clad brothers, he realized that nothing would ever be able to tear him from them again. Ever. Even if it killed him.

* * *

 _THERE! Done with this installment! No prologue, sorry. Review, rant, flame, vote on my poll, and check out my community. BYE!_

 _TMNT LLII_


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